WHO: Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
Situation report – 31 October 2014 ‘WHO Roadmap’
HIGHLIGHTS
:: There have been 13,567 reported Ebola cases in eight affected countries since the outbreak began, with 4,951 reported deaths.
:: Intense transmission continues in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
:: All 83 contacts of the health-care worker infected in Spain have completed the 21-day follow-up period.

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Virtual press briefings: Ebola outbreak
Video, audio and transcripts from the briefings
:: 29 October 2014 virtual press briefing on Ebola outbreak Speakers: Dr Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General, Polio and Emergencies.
– Audio of the press briefing
mp3, 62 Mb, [01:07:00]
– Transcript of the press briefing
pdf, 380kb

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WHO welcomes Swissmedic approval of Ebola vaccine trial at Lausanne University Hospital
Statement
28 October 2014
[Full text]
The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the approval by Swissmedic, the Swiss regulatory authority for therapeutic products, for a trial with an experimental Ebola vaccine at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV). This marks the latest step towards bringing safe and effective Ebola vaccines for testing and implementation as quickly as possible.
Approval means that the vaccine can be used on approximately 120 individuals in Lausanne. The trial, which is receiving support from WHO, is the latest in a series of trials that are ongoing in Mali, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
About the vaccine
The vaccine is based on a genetically modified chimpanzee adenovirus (“ChAd-Ebola”; Chimpanzee-Adenovirus chAD3-ZEBOV). The trial will test the safety of the vaccine and its capacity to induce an immune response. Results from the CHUV trial will – together with the results of other centres involved – provide the basis for planning subsequent trials involving several thousand participants, and for choosing vaccine dose-level for efficacy trials.
Developed by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, the vaccine consists of a virus that is rendered harmless and used as genetic carrier for one Ebola protein. The application, submitted at the end of September 2014, was handled as a priority, given the dimensions of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.
Vaccine trials
The trial is one of two in Switzerland coordinated by WHO. A second vaccine, rVSV-ZEBOV, is to be tested at the Geneva University Hospitals, concurrent to the Lausanne trial.
“These are dosing and safety trials being held in advance of to Phase II and III trials currently scheduled for late 2014-early 2015,” says Marie-Paule Kieny, Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Innovation at WHO. “If shown to be safe and effective, either of the vaccines could be scaled up for production during the first quarter of next year, with millions of doses produced for wide distribution in high-risk countries.”
Trials in Lausanne will begin this week, with first results expected in December 2014.

WHO updates personal protective equipment guidelines for Ebola response
31 October 2014
[Excerpt from news release]
As part of WHO’s commitment to safety and protection of healthcare workers and patients from transmission of Ebola virus disease, WHO has conducted a formal review of personal protective equipment (PPE) guidelines for healthcare workers and is updating its guidelines in context of the current outbreak.
About the PPE guidelines
These updated guidelines aim to clarify and standardize safe and effective PPE options to protect health care workers and patients, as well as provide information for procurement of PPE stock in the current Ebola outbreak. The guidelines are based on a review of evidence of PPE use during care of suspected and confirmed Ebola virus disease patients.
The Guidelines Development Group convened by WHO included participation of a wide range of experts from developed and developing countries, and international organizations including the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Médecins Sans Frontières, the Infection Control Africa Network and others.
“These guidelines hold an important role in clarifying effective personal protective equipment options that protect the safety of healthcare workers and patients from Ebola virus disease transmission,” says Edward Kelley, WHO Director for Service Delivery and Safety. “Paramount to the guidelines’ effectiveness is the inclusion of mandatory training on the putting on, taking off and decontaminating of PPE, followed by mentoring for all users before engaging in any clinical care.”…
– Personal protective equipment in the context of filovirus disease outbreak response
Rapid advice guideline
October 2014
– Personal protective equipment in the context of filovirus disease outbreak response
Technical specifications
October 2014

WHO: Ebola situation assessments
:: Ebola virus disease – Mali 31 October 2014

WHO IN ACTION
Sierra Leone: Helping the Ebola survivors turn the page
27 October 2014
Sierra Leone: The Kenema tent helps to prevent Ebola spread
27 October 2014

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WHO: Call for nominations for SAGE Working Group on Ebola Vaccines
29 October 2014
WHO is calling for nominations for membership in a Working Group of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Ebola Vaccines and Vaccination. Proposals for nominations should be sent by email to sageexecsec@who.int with Curriculum Vitae, indication of expertise and completed Declaration of Interests using the form below. Only complete nominations (self or from third party) received by Wednesday, 5 November 2014, will be considered. The final selection of members of the Working Group will be done by a duly appointed selection panel. Following review of all nominations by the selection panel, successful nominees will be notified via e-mail.